In many manufacturing environments, machines may need to be modified when a manufacturing process or product being manufactured changes. This is referred to as an equipment changeover. A complex series of steps may need to be performed to change over the equipment to make the new or changed product. In some cases, this may be done infrequently, and operators may need to refer frequently to a paper list of instructions in order to perform the changeover correctly. This can take a significant amount of time to do, as the operator may need to put down tools, and refer back to the paper copy of instructions in order to perform the next task in the changeover.
If the changeover occurs frequently, the operator may soon be able to perform the changeover with less frequent reference to the paper copy of the instructions. In some cases, the instructions may be stored on a personal digital assistant (PDA) or a human machine interface (HMI) such as an interactive display screen or selector panel instead of paper. However, reference to the PDA or HMI is then required many times during the changeover process. Still further, employee turnover may mean that inexperienced operators may be performing the changeover. Such conditions can lead to significant down time of manufacturing lines. Other examples of these types of infrequent/potentially complex operations include equipment maintenance or repair, and even complex product assembly processes that may be performed infrequently, or may require a significant number of steps such that accurate memorization and performance of the task is difficult to achieve.
There is a need for a system and method that minimizes the time needed to perform such tasks, and results in less down time for manufacturing or other assets.